Missed Opportunity for Routine Childhood Vaccination in Urban and Rural Areas of Edo State, Nigeria: A Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the proven effectiveness of immunization against vaccine preventable diseases, vaccination coverage among children remains low in many developing countries including Nigeria. A significant contributor is missed opportunity for vaccination (MOV). This study compared the prevalence and determinants of MOV among under-five children in an urban and a rural community in Edo State, Southern Nigeria. METHODS: This comparative cross-sectional community-based study was carried out among 644 mothers of under-five children selected using a multistage sampling technique from an urban and a rural community. Data was collected using a modified structured WHO protocol for evaluation of MOV and analyzed with IBM SPSS version 22.0. Descriptive and inferential statistics were done with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of MOV was 21.7% and 22.1% in urban and rural communities, respectively (p=0.924). The measles vaccine was the most frequently missed in the urban 40 (57.1%) and rural 45 (63.4%) communities. The major reason for MOV in both communities was limited hours of vaccination (urban-58.6% and rural-62.0%). Poor knowledge of vaccination was a determinant of MOV in both urban (aOR=0.923; 95%CI=0.098-0.453) and rural (aOR=0.231; 95%CI=0.029-0.270) communities. Other determinants in the community included older maternal age (aOR=0.452; 95%CI=0.243-0.841) while in the rural community, they included older child (aOR=0.467; 95%CI=0.220-0.990) and ANC attendance (aOR=2.827; 95%CI=1.583-5.046). CONCLUSION: MOV was common in both urban and rural communities in Edo State. Regular public awareness campaigns and capacity building workshops for health care workers to address the individual and health system factors are recommended.

CONTEXTE: Malgré l'efficacité prouvée de l'immunisation contre les maladies évitables par la vaccination, la couverture vaccinale des enfants reste faible dans de nombreux pays en développement, y compris le Nigéria. Les occasions manquées de vaccination (OMV) y contribuent de manière significative. Cette étude a comparé la prévalence et les déterminants des occasions manquées de vaccination chez les enfants de moins de cinq ans dans une communauté urbaine et rurale de l'État d'Edo, au sud du Nigéria. MÉTHODES: Cette étude transversale comparative a été menée auprès de 644 mères d'enfants de moins de cinq ans sélectionnées à l'aide d'une technique d'échantillonnage à plusieurs degrés dans une communauté urbaine et une communauté rurale. Les données ont été collectées à l'aide d'un protocole structuré modifié de l'OMS pour l'évaluation du MOV et analysées à l'aide d'IBM SPSS version 22.0. Des statistiques descriptives et inférentielles ont été réalisées, p<0,05 étant considéré comme statistiquement significatif. RÉSULTATS: La prévalence du vaccin antirougeoleux était de 21,7% et de 22,1 % dans les communautés urbaines et rurales, respectivement (p=0,924). Le vaccin contre la rougeole était le plus souvent omis dans les communautés urbaines 40 (57,1 %) et rurales 45 (63,4 %). La principale raison de l'omission dans les deuxcommunautés était le nombre limité d'heures de vaccination (58,6 % en milieu urbain et 62,0 % en milieu rural). Une mauvaise connaissance de la vaccination était un facteur déterminant de l'OMV dans les communautés urbaines (aOR=0,923 ; 95%CI=0,098-0,453) et rurales (aOR=0,231 ; 95%CI=0,029-0,270). Les autres déterminants en milieu urbain comprenaient l'âge maternel plus élevé (aOR=0,452 ; 95%CI=0,243-0,841) tandis qu'en milieu rural, ils comprenaient l'enfant plus âgé (aOR=0,467 ; 95%CI=0,220-0,990) et la fréquentation de la CPN (aOR=2,827 ; 95%CI=1,583-5,046). CONCLUSION: La MVO est fréquente dans les communautés urbaines et rurales de l'État d'Edo. Il est recommandé d'organiser régulièrement des campagnes de sensibilisation du public et des ateliers de renforcement des capacités pour les travailleurs de la santé afin de s'attaquer aux facteurs individuels et aux facteurs liés au système de santé. Mots-clés: Occasion manquée; Vaccination; Enfants de moins de cinqans; Communautés; Rurales; Urbaines.

First Cases of Sars-cov-2 Reinfection Coinciding with the Covid-19 Second Wave, Benin City, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Reinfection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has important public health implications pertaining to herd immunity and durability of protection from vaccines. A small but growing number of cases have been reported globally but none from Africa. This is due, in part, to adherence to definitions based on genetic sequencing, the capabilities of which are in short supply on the continent. METHODS: Based on epidemiological and clinical parameters, we report the first two cases of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection from a Nigerian tertiary hospital managing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. RESULT: Two cases of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection were seen in December, 2020 and January, 2021. Both were males associated with a healthcare setting and aged 37 and 38 years respectively. The number of days between the first infection and the second ranged from 160-196 days. Symptoms ranged from mild to moderate and they recovered without sequelae. CONCLUSION: Public health action, including risk communication and reinfection surveillance backed by genomic sequencing, is advocated.

CONTEXTE: La réinfection par le coronavirus 2 du syndrome respiratoire aigu sévère (SRAS-CoV-2) a des implications importantes pour la santé publique en ce qui concerne l'immunité du troupeau et la durabilité de la protection contre les vaccins. Un nombre petit mais croissant de cas a été signalé dans le monde, mais aucun en Afrique. Cela est dû, en partie, au respect des définitions basées sur le séquençage génétique, dont les capacités sont rares sur le continent. MÉTHODES: Sur la base de paramètres épidémiologiques et cliniques, nous rapportons les deux premiers cas de réinfection par le SRAS-CoV-2 d'un hôpital tertiaire nigérian prenant en charge des patients atteints de la maladie à coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). RÉSULTAT: Deux cas de réinfection par le SRAS-CoV-2 ont été observés en décembre 2020 et janvier 2021. Tous deux étaient des hommes associés à un établissement de soins de santé et âgés respectivement de 37 et 38 ans. Le nombre de jours entre la première infection et la seconde variait de 160 à 196 jours. Les symptômes variaient de légers à modérés et ils se sont rétablis sans séquelles. CONCLUSION: Une action de santé publique, y compris la communication des risques et la surveillance des réinfections appuyées par le séquençage génomique, est préconisée. MOTS CLÉS: COVID-19; SRAS-CoV-2; Réinfection; Nigeria; Pandémie.

An Analysis of COVID-19 Patients Receiving Care in a Tertiary Facility in Southern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Information pertaining to the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa remains sparse. In Nigeria, it is limited to few isolated reports and case series confined to the early phase of the outbreak. The objective of this study is to describe the presenting characteristics, co-morbidities and outcomes of Nigerian patients managed over a 3-month period in a tertiary hospital. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving the total population of patients with laboratory confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Nigeria from March 31 to June 30, 2020. Data was collected using a review of patients' records. Analysis was by IBM SPSS version 25.0. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 173 patients with mean age (SD) 50.7± 20.1 years were managed. One hundred and five (60.7%) were males and the commonest age group was 20-39 years (34.7%). The commonest presenting symptoms were fever, cough and malaise found in 103 (71.5%), 101 (70.1%) and 63 (43.8%) patients respectively. Twenty-five (14.5%) patients had severe disease; 60 (34.7%) had underlying medical conditions mostly hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Outcome analyses showed 117 (67.6%) discharges, 45 (26.0%) deaths, 10 (5.8%) discharges against medical advice, and 1 (0.6%) transfer to another facility. Male sex (p=0.044), increasing age (p<0.001), presence of symptoms (p=0.010), presence of co-morbidities (p=0.010) and non-healthcare worker status (p< 0.001) were significantly associated with mortality. CONCLUSION: The first epidemiological and clinical summary of COVID-19 cases in Edo state, Nigeria over a three-month period is presented showing globally recognized patterns of male predilection and higher mortality with increasing age and co-morbidity.

Gender Differences in the Health-Related Quality of Life of Couples Receiving Assisted Reproduction Treatment in Benin City: A Comparative Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Infertility and its negative consequences on men and women have become a salient issue for health care. Health related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important outcome measure for couples receiving Assisted Reproduction. However, there is a dearth of data showing gender differences in health related quality of life among infertile couples.  OBJECTIVE: To assess the gender differences in the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of couples receiving Assisted Reproduction Treatment (ART) METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among male and female couples receiving ART in Benin City. The data was obtained using a self-administered questionnaire adapted from the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (HRQoL BREF) tool and analysed using IBM SPSS version 24.0. The level of significance was p < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 400 respondents (200 males and 200 females) with mean age 41.73 ± 7.30 years participated in the study. Males had a higher mean HRQoL domain scores than females in physical health (p < 0.001), psychological health (p < 0.001), and social health (p = 0.014), however, females had higher environmental health domain scores compared to their male counterparts (p = 0.362). There was also a significantly higher overall perceived quality of life (p < 0.001) and satisfaction with health (p < 0.001) among men than women. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that males had a better HRQoL than females in the studied population. This highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach to management of treatment infertility.

Knowledge, Attitude and Preventive Practices Against Lassa Fever Among Residents in a Rural Community in Southern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Lassa fever is of significant public health concern due to the high morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. There is need for the general public, especially those in the rural communities, to have adequate knowledge of Lassa fever as well as engage in proper measures that will prevent the occurrence of future outbreaks. OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, attitude and preventive practices against Lassa fever of adult residents among a rural community in Edo State, Nigeria. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study among adult residents of a rural community in Etsako Central LGA, Edo State. The participants were selected using multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using structured interviewer-administered questionnaires and data analysis was by IBM SPSS version 21.0. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Four hundred and sixty-five respondents with a mean age of 34.6 ± 14.7 years participated in the study. Majority (89.0%) had heard of Lassa fever and of these, 82.9% and 85.3% had poor knowledge of Lassa fever and positive attitude towards preventive measures against Lassa fever, respectively. Over half (59.1%) had poor preventive practices against Lassa fever. Knowledge, attitude and preventive practice was found to be better among educated respondents. CONCLUSION: The study showed a gap in knowledge of Lassa fever and preventive practices against the disease among the respondents. Adequate measures such as enforcing policies against bush burning should be put in place by all stakeholders to ensure that this gap observed is bridged.

Prevalence, pattern and determinants of dating violence among young persons in Benin City, Edo State

Background: Dating violence (DV) and its negative effects are a present public health issue of concern. The study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence, pattern and determinants of DV among young persons in Benin City. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Benin City, Edo State among young persons aged 15-24years. Two-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondents. The data was obtained from a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire adapted from WHO multi-country survey on domestic violence. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 22.0. The level of significance was p < 0.05. Results: A total of 750 respondents with mean age 20.65 ± 2.01 years participated in the study. The lifetime and one-year prevalence of DV was 396 (52.3%) and 354 (47.2%), respectively. A higher proportion of respondents suffered psychological violence with the lifetime and one-year prevalence of 339 (45.2%) and 294 (39.2%), respectively. Significant determinants of DV were age (p = 0.009), aggressive behavior (p = 0.005) and risky sexual behavior (p = 0.001) Conclusion: The prevalence of DV was high among the respondents. Preventive DV interventions such as health education and peer counselling for this age group is advocated

Prevalence, pattern and determinants of dating violence among young persons in Benin City, Edo State

Background: Dating violence (DV) and its negative effects are a present public health issue of concern. The study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence, pattern and determinants of DV among young persons in Benin City. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Benin City, Edo State among young persons aged 15-24years. Two-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondents. The data was obtained from a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire adapted from WHO multi-country survey on domestic violence. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 22.0. The level of significance was p < 0.05. Results: A total of 750 respondents with mean age 20.65 ± 2.01 years participated in the study. The lifetime and one-year prevalence of DV was 396 (52.3%) and 354 (47.2%), respectively. A higher proportion of respondents suffered psychological violence with the lifetime and one-year prevalence of 339 (45.2%) and 294 (39.2%), respectively. Significant determinants of DV were age (p = 0.009), aggressive behavior (p = 0.005) and risky sexual behavior (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of DV was high among the respondents. Preventive DV interventions such as health education and peer counselling for this age group is advocated